The Big Beat 1963

[Jim Murphy]

Yeah, I remember Rockaway having that SMILEY SMILE promo piece. And, like you, wish I had hammered out a deal or simply bit the bullet.  Sometimes the prices are a bit difficult to justify.  And you snooze you lose. Oh, well.  I wonder where that eventually went?  Cool that you have a photo of it. That thing has got be unbelievably rare. Never saw one before, haven't seen one since. Used to think the Best of Vol 3 record bin stand-up was rare, but there's a few of them floating around. That's another cool promo piece. You have that one, right, Chris?

[bgas]

Yeah, I remember Rockaway having that SMILEY SMILE promo piece. And, like you, wish I had hammered out a deal or simply bit the bullet.  Sometimes the prices are a bit difficult to justify.  And you snooze you lose. Oh, well.  I wonder where that eventually went?  Cool that you have a photo of it. That thing has got be unbelievably rare. Never saw one before, haven't seen one since. Used to think the Best of Vol 3 record bin stand-up was rare, but there's a few of them floating around. That's another cool promo piece. You have that one, right, Chris?

Yes, I think...  Mine have easels on the back, like a counter display. Is that the same as what you mention?  



I noticed that Rhino.com is having a contest in honor of AGD:  http://www.rhino.com/article/win-a-copy-of-morrisseys-autobiography?eml=rn/121213/Morrissey2

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I hope this isn't going to be just a digital release.

Some of us old-fashioned types actually like to own things...

CD please!

[Matt Bielewicz]

Oh, I'd love a CD of this too... but I guess our wants and requirements are, more than ever with this particular release, not the point!

Lovely cover art. It would look great as a real object, and I'd prefer uncompressed audio... but I'm guessing the economics for a physical release just don't stack up. And also, this stuff isn't being put out for us anyway, it's just for legal reasons!

Then again... Mark and Alan are fans too, so perhaps they're working with the impetus created by the copyright extension requirement — but simultaneously, on what is no doubt a miniscule/non-existent budget, trying to give us the best possible package given that the stuff has to be put out anyway for legal reasons. After all, you could release this thing digitally with NO cover art - and yet the 'sleeve' is a lovely piece of design. Some care and thought has clearly been involved!

Who knows, perhaps these annual digital releases will become the 21st century equivalent of Derek Bill's releases... extra goodies for the über-fans.

I don't use the iTunes store... but I think I might be starting soon!

EDIT: Wait, just a minute — where exactly IS this thing going to be released? After all, if it's in the USA iTunes store, that DOESN'T mean UK customers (such as myself) can buy it... Hey Capitol! I'm trying to give you some dollars!!! Where do I send them?

[LeeDempsey]

Yeah, I remember Rockaway having that SMILEY SMILE promo piece. And, like you, wish I had hammered out a deal or simply bit the bullet.  Sometimes the prices are a bit difficult to justify.  And you snooze you lose. Oh, well.  I wonder where that eventually went?  Cool that you have a photo of it. That thing has got be unbelievably rare. Never saw one before, haven't seen one since. Used to think the Best of Vol 3 record bin stand-up was rare, but there's a few of them floating around. That's another cool promo piece. You have that one, right, Chris?

Yes, I think...  Mine have easels on the back, like a counter display. Is that the same as what you mention?  

Man, I had a chance at that Best of Vol. 3 stand-up at the Valley Forge Record Show in 1988.  Same show where I met Steve Bonilla and Marisa and talked about her being a backing vocalist on Dennis' "Morning Christmas."  Same show where I met collector Steve Harvey, who owned the Capitol/Angel/Seraphim salesman's disc with the SMiLE promo advert.  Anyway I think the guy wanted around $100, but I had flown into Philly on business and I was worried about how I would get it onto the plane, so I passed.  I could have always had him mail it to me. Darn...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Stevie H is a long-time friend of mine: you should see his basement. Rock memorabilia central.

Lee, going back to the new 'release' - will there be a digital booklet, or do we have to supply our own ?

[LeeDempsey]

Lee, going back to the new 'release' - will there be a digital booklet, or do we have to supply our own ?

I believe Capitol was looking for a volunteer to write liners (as in unpaid).  Not sure if anyone signed up.  I know C-man had gathered some information from me about some of these tracks a couple of weeks before I contacted by Alan; I don't know if he has anything formal or informal in the works.  Between all of us on this board we could put together some great notes.  Maybe we ought to create a Wiki where we can all contribute...

Lee

[Andrew G. Doe]

Ah... I was good to go right up to "unpaid". 

[Jim Murphy]

CHRIS

Yep, that's it.  I did not know there was a different one for the UK. There's a Billboard ad from Capitol that shows the whole series of Capitol artists for which they produced these record bin stand-ups.  I wonder if your counter-top easel came that way or some enterprising fan converted it into a counter-top display. I guess your UK one got pinned up a few too many times. Cool stuff.  I have the U.S. version.

THE BIG BEAT

I'd love to see a CD (and vinyl too, actually, but that will never happen) release of this, but agree the chances are pretty slim. Not sure if this project is being hastily put together or if it has been in the works for a while.  One would think that, since the material needed to be released for copyright extension, Brian would want to give it the treatment it deserves.  These are some of his earliest recordings from a year that saw a meteoric rise in his songwriting and production -- three double-sided singles, three albums, a Christmas single, songwriting for Shut Down Vol 2, and preparation for the Australian/New Zealand tour; then, there's the Honeys, Bob & Sheri, Bob & Vickie, Jan & Dean, the Survivors, Sharon Marie, the Castells, the Timers. An unbelievably creative period for Brian. And it's not like these are some embarrassing demos or half-baked sketches. These are terrific songs that could have been released at the time. Even the significantly more primitive Hite Morgan recordings (FIRST WAVE) were about to get a more fully produced treatment and liner notes.  Certainly these historic 1963 recordings deserve no less. 

I don't mean to sound unappreciative.  I'm not.  I'm ecstatic these songs are seeing an official light of day and appreciate everyone's efforts of those involved. Why on Earth (well, I know why) would Capitol/EMI expect someone to write liner notes and not be paid for their work? Isn't that rich?  Also, as one example, if that's not Gary Usher on "I'll Never Love Again," will there not be a problem writing the liner notes? 

BOB and SHERI

Vickie Kocher Hale does not recall ever meeting Cheryl Pomeroy. When Brian and Bob played her a few songs in their Crenshaw apartment for her to choose from, and she selected THE SURFER MOON, she recalled that Brian and Bob sort of looked at each other a bit oddly -- the strong inference being, as she recalled, that it was like, "Oh, gee, what are we gonna do, she picked the song you sang with Cheryl." But she really liked the song, although she did not see herself as as "surfer girl" and suggested the name change to "The Summer Moon." So, the elusive Ms. Pomeroy may have been out of the picture by April 1963 when Brian, Bob, and Vickie got together to run through some songs. I only bring this up because it may help to date any Bob & Sheri recordings. I tracked down Bob's Sigma Chi fraternity roommates at USC at 928 West 28th Street on The Row. He was in a musical combo, a trio with guitar, keyboards, and drums, that played at Hollywood celebrity parties (lots of stars' kids attended USC) and backed up folks like Connie Stevens when she performed on campus. For the real trivia nuts, he played a Silvertone 1421 hollow-body electric guitar with two pick-ups, a single cutaway, and shaded walnut finish. But I digress. None of his roommates remembered Cheryl.  In fact, and I found this quite fascinating, none of them knew Bob went on to live with Brian Wilson and write a bunch of songs with him that the Beach Boys recorded! One guy responded, "You're kidding!" No, I'm not. Bob graduated USC in June 1961. Since his roommates do not recall him having a girlfriend at the time, most likely he began dating Cheryl post-graduation. Certainly by late spring/summer 1962 when Brian befriended Bob and Cheryl when the Boys played a Sigma Chi alumni event at USC. And then she was out of the picture by April 1963. Bob is saving his recollections for the upcoming Brian bio, but it sure would be great if he contributed some factual information about the time he spent creating music with Brian Wilson. But, as long as he gets it written down and documented with Brian's biographer, that will most assuredly be a good thing.   

[LeeDempsey]

By the way, at one time I thought I heard that the vocalist on "I'll Never Love Again" (copyrighted as "If It Can't Be You") was Ron Wilson of the Surfaris (totally unrelated to Brian's later production of the African-American singer Ron Wilson).  I would have to pull out my Surfaris albums to see if the vocal timbre matches up.

Lee

[LeeDempsey]

I just remembered this story...

A number of years ago I was at an event where Bob Norberg was also an attendee.  Got to chat with him for a good while.  Nice guy.  There was Beach Boys music playing in the background.  Almost on queue, during our conversation, "The Surfer Moon" (Beach Boys version) came on.  Mind you, this was 15 years before Vickie popped up with her version on YouTube -- the first time I ever heard it.  During the intro Bob goes, "Oh, looks like they have 'The Summer Moon.'"  At which point I got all excited.  And then a few seconds later, when Brian's vocals came in, he said, "Oops, just 'The Surfer Moon.'"  I said, "Bob, you're killing me!..."

Lee

[bgas]

CHRIS

Yep, that's it.  I did not know there was a different one for the UK. There's a Billboard ad from Capitol that shows the whole series of Capitol artists for which they produced these record bin stand-ups.  I wonder if your counter-top easel came that way or some enterprising fan converted it into a counter-top display. I guess your UK one got pinned up a few too many times. Cool stuff.  I have the U.S. version.

I think it would be extremely difficult to cut an easel into one of these posterboard backs, without risking cutting thru the LP cover also. FWIW, here's a pic of the backs of my two US ones
( one is water damaged) side by side. The easel on the water damaged one shows more clearly...    The UK version, not shown, has a one-leg easel   ( I love Tinypic)  

    

[Mikie]

In 1976, I asked Brian Wilson who Sheri was. Know what he said?

[Jim Murphy]

No, it definitely looks like it was manufactured that way. Probably rarer than the record bin version. I've seen some album cover flats with a cardboard easel glued to the back.  They look a little homemade.

Lee, just curious, was it a Beach Boys related event, or some other function and he just happened to be there?  I think Bob participated in the A&E special on Brian, but very little else from what I can tell. Not sure if he got burned by some writers or TV people who worked on the sensational movies. Of course, he could simply be a very private person and one has to respect that.  My ears perked up the other day when you mentioned the Norberg Apartment tapes.  Do you believe there may be additional Brian and Bob collaborations that have yet to surface?  I guess, never say never, right? Did you feel he was reluctant to speak about his days with Brian?  Sort of like a protective friend. Has he ever been approached to do an ESQ interview?  Or is that a silly question

Here's a collecting story you'll both enjoy, and can relate to . . . Back in 1980, I had an opportunity to buy a promo copy of "School Days" but passed because it was about $100, and that was if I sealed the deal right then and there to outbid some guy from Germany (not Manfred).  This was before it was generally known, back in the Pony Express days, that it had been yanked.  I remember thinking, "Okay, these Caribou white label promos go for about ten to twelve bucks apiece. There's no way I'm spending $100+ for one. I'll just wait for another to come up, as they always do."  Famous last words.  Took several years and a few more dollars to finally land a copy of that one.  As you both probably know, the Canadian and Australian copies are much more plentiful.  New travels slow I guess .  Have you guys seen the blue Caribou label stock copy from Australia? That's a pretty cool piece. 

Ahh, the plot thickens on "If It Can't Be You."  Maybe somebody can just . . . ask Brian!  And speaking of Ron Wilson, do stock copies of his single exist on the red Columbia label?

Mikie -- you're killin' me here

[Mikie]

I met Steve Bonilla and Marisa and talked about her being a backing vocalist on Dennis' "Morning Christmas."

Small world. Steve is from Sacramento and grew up in the same area I did. He use to own a record shop on 9th St. I pulled a few good BB collectibles from his store back in the 70's and he was at the same Memorial Auditorium concert in '73 that I was, one of the last with Blondie. He posted here for awhile but suddenly just dropped out of sight - hope he's OK.

[Mikie]

Mikie -- you're killin' me here

Brian's reply to my question?  "I f*cked her once, ya know."

I kid you not!

[Jim Murphy]

Well, now, maybe that's why Bob's relationship with Ms. Pomeroy soured. "Helps us ride in, brings us waves each day." Indeed.

I think Gary Usher hinted at that in one of Stephen McParland's books about him.

There's the story.  And then there's the story. 

[D Cunningham]

Sounds like some ordinary human scuttling.  Mikie, you will want to save that nugget
for when you are interviewed for the David McCullough biography of B.W.

Hey, probably been gone over already...but Lee or others... I mentioned my love
for "Bobby Left Me".  Is that Hal on drums?  And any chance that's Brian himself
pounding out those eighth notes on the piano in the fade?  Wouldn't that be cool.   

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Mikie -- you're killin' me here

Brian's reply to my question?  "I f*cked her once, ya know."

I kid you not!

That is brilliant 

[bgas]

No, it definitely looks like it was manufactured that way. Probably rarer than the record bin version. I've seen some album cover flats with a cardboard easel glued to the back.  They look a little homemade.

Lee, just curious, was it a Beach Boys related event, or some other function and he just happened to be there?  I think Bob participated in the A&E special on Brian, but very little else from what I can tell. Not sure if he got burned by some writers or TV people who worked on the sensational movies. Of course, he could simply be a very private person and one has to respect that.  My ears perked up the other day when you mentioned the Norberg Apartment tapes.  Do you believe there may be additional Brian and Bob collaborations that have yet to surface?  I guess, never say never, right? Did you feel he was reluctant to speak about his days with Brian?  Sort of like a protective friend. Has he ever been approached to do an ESQ interview?  Or is that a silly question

Here's a collecting story you'll both enjoy, and can relate to . . . Back in 1980, I had an opportunity to buy a promo copy of "School Days" but passed because it was about $100, and that was if I sealed the deal right then and there to outbid some guy from Germany (not Manfred).  This was before it was generally known, back in the Pony Express days, that it had been yanked.  I remember thinking, "Okay, these Caribou white label promos go for about ten to twelve bucks apiece. There's no way I'm spending $100+ for one. I'll just wait for another to come up, as they always do."  Famous last words.  Took several years and a few more dollars to finally land a copy of that one.  As you both probably know, the Canadian and Australian copies are much more plentiful.  New travels slow I guess .  Have you guys seen the blue Caribou label stock copy from Australia? That's a pretty cool piece. 

Ahh, the plot thickens on "If It Can't Be You."  Maybe somebody can just . . . ask Brian!  And speaking of Ron Wilson, do stock copies of his single exist on the red Columbia label?

Mikie -- you're killin' me here

If you get more into the Starline/variations website, you'll see there's a stock Ron Wilson shown there( mine)  

And my "collector's story:  Worst loss ever:  At a store in Memphis Tennessee,Im guessing 1973-76, they had (at least) one of those Capitol Records cardboard standup LP displays, FULL OF BBs, DICK DALE, ETC LPs; all still brand new/old stock. Best I can recall, they didn't take credit cards, else I would have bought every last one. I spent what cash I had,not a lot, unfortunately, and no ATMs then, plus it was a last -minute trek and I was running late...  didn't ask on the display( no more $$) and caught my boat. When I got back to Memphis, the WHOLE STORE WAS GONE. (It was a couple of months, at least. )And the other people I knew in Memohis acted like "What store?"   Missed opportunities. Guess I should have kept a couple hundred in my socks for emergencies; maybe I still should?  

[Jim Murphy]

Might want to have a cardiologist nearby . . . McCullough is getting up there 

[LeeDempsey]

The event where I met Norberg was a private event that my wife and I were fortunate to be able to attend, due to a personal friendship that is purely coincidental to my Beach Boys connections.  I'll leave it at that...

I had already been advised that he was guarded about anything to do with Brian, so we talked about his family, his career as a pilot, just about everything except Brian.  But I did have to geek out and tell him that I owned copies of the Bob & Sheri and Bob & Bobby singles!

I don't think anyone -- even Mark and Alan -- has heard the entire apartment tapes.  I think I remember that Bob played them about 30 seconds of a version of "Keep an Eye on Summer" that was similar to the "Little Deuce Coupe" demo on Hawthorne and the "In My Room" demo on the Good Vibrations box, but in the end decided to only give them one track to include.

Lee

[Mikie]

Wouldn't mind hearing "Wich Stand", along with "Girlie" and "Hot Harp."

[bgas]

Wouldn't mind hearing "Wich Stand", along with "Girlie" and "Hot Harp."

Yeah!!  Let's all get together and knock on his door!  Maybe if there's enough of us there, we can "convince" him to play them all...

[Don Malcolm]

What great news, and what a great, great thread--so many accomplished, dedicated, and uber-knowledgeable BB experts sharing a set of golden memories that I'm slightly teary-eyed to just have been on its very distant periphery. It's especially nice to see Don C. here, giving me a chance to thank him for all of the gifts of the early fanzines a number of years back--I'm still of the opinion that Don's essay on "Sloop John B." is one of the very best pieces of BB song analysis out there. It's never too late to write more, Don--until it is!!

The enthusiasm and sheer joy that radiates from these posts is very, very contagious--don't stop guys, we're really diggin' it!